Last Thursday, I was into the first few moments of a series of power-targeted intervals on the bike, and I could feel it.
On Sunday, in the last two miles of a trail run, my legs kicked into high gear for some of the fastest miles I’ve run in a while, and I knew it was with me.
Just two strokes into Monday’s swim, and there it was.
My mojo.
My magnificant, move-me-up-mountains mojo.
It’s mojolicious.
Okay, you get the point.
Alright, one more time…
* * M O J O * *
I like to keep my thoughts and writing positive, which is why I haven’t mentioned my missing mojo until now. I wasn’t exactly sure where it was, and crying about it seemed whiny and ungrateful. I mean, I’m lucky to be able to do what I do – why cry about not feeling 100%?
One might think I left Ms. Mojo in Hawaii–except for the fact that I didn’t feel like my mojo even came with me to Hawaii.
In fact, I haven’t felt much of my mojo since I raced Mont Tremblant in August. At least part of that is due to my personal disappointment in a marathon that, despite a perfectly executed opening 20 miles, fell flat in the final 10k thanks to all-day-long belly cramps.
My immediate reaction to this disappointment: I wanted to take revenge, and race again. Triathlon. Marathon. 5k. Anything just to “prove” I could run.
This reaction was purely emotional.
But, I had to think rationally. What would a random Fall race do for my long-term goals heading into 2013?
The simple answer: Nothing.
So, my coach Vince and I decided that the best course of action for the Fall was to forego racing in lieu of focusing on bringing up my cycling. As crazy as this may seem, you can’t get to Kona with a mediocre bike. I know. What a radical idea.
And, focus on my cycling we have. Vince has put me through my paces, with a series of workouts that have challenged me in terms of endurance, power, force, high cadence, big gear, standing, sitting, aero, sprinkling fairy dust while I intone mantras–you name the focus for a training workout, we’ve worked through it.
In addition to improving the engine, I’ve also upgraded the chassis, thanks to Quintana Roo and Cycles BiKyle. I’m on a brand new CD0.1, which I feel pretty darn certain was made specifically for me. This is my first tri-bike, and I was apprehensive that it would take a while to make the transition to the new set up. Not. At. All. It was love at first pedal.
Despite the excitement of the new bike, all of this training with no race in sight for months upon months has eventually led to feeling mentally flat.
When I train, I like to envision an upcoming race, to feel the excitement and energy that comes with those days of celebration. For the past few weeks, I’ve had nothing. Going to Kona and watching all the joy and excitement of those participating in the race sadly made me feel worse, especially when I came home.
Couple this with the need to move indoors because of the colder temperatures, and my mojo was burying itself so deeply, I began to worry if it would ever come out to play with me again.
But it did.
The reappearance of Ms. Mojo likely has something to do with an email exchange between Vince and I, that took place two weeks ago. First, from me to Vince:
I’m pretty sure the answer is no, but I’m a child. I’m going to push. And, it’s a good excuse for a vacation in Key West. How do you like this race (half distance)? http://www.boneislandtri.com/
Within the hour, a reply from Vince to me:
I’m ok with it. Let’s talk it through on Wed.
And, with that, I signed up as official participant in the Bone Island Half-Distance Triathlon. Within days of registering, my mojo came home. I’m ready to play.
The 2013 race season begins on January 12, 2013.
